“because the washer and dryer don’t run on remote control!”

Gender-based jokes that poke “fun” at domestic chores run rampant in the dominant culture. And somehow men are always the butt of the joke. But the “modern woman” is still stuck doing the laundry because the jokes just allow us as a society to shrug off their “inability” as part of their domestic failure as men, and not as part of the actual divisions in the home when it comes to domestic chores.

When it comes to chores I prefer the barter system. It’s what you would do with a roommate, or a sibling, and does not have to be any different when you’re in a relationship that highlights socially defined gender roles. At the end of the day I hate doing the cat litter and any living partner or roommate that is willing to take the cat litter on without complaint is my hero.

Luckily for them I’m always willing to do the laundry in exchange. It also means that I can use soap I’m not allergic to, can use/make less harmful detergents, and can use alternatives to the dryer in the summer (like the laundry line).

With that in mind, I thought I would compile a list of my favourite DIY projects for the laundry so that if you got the sweet deal of laundry over litter, you can have some DIY fun too.

DIY Dryer Balls - These aren’t vegan (something I always aim for) but can be made out of scraps and not only release lanolin into your drying laundry, but reduce static. There’s also a full tutorial here.